Page 99 of Silver Linings
“Stubborn woman.”
She laughed, slipping her hand into his before walking towards the kitchen.
Thirty
His team was finally all there, busy putting the final touches on their meal. As they sat down, sprawled across the living room, Gunner readied himself for the questions that were about to be hurled at him.
“So, why the 9-1-1? Were you just hungry and couldn’t wait for the time we all agreed to come over here?” Hawk asked.
“I wish it was that.”
“Okay, so what the fuck has you so on edge?” Nash asked, his eyes going wide as Lily glared at him. “Oh shit, sorry Lily. I forgot about the no swearing rule.”
“You guys are going to owe me big time when she’s two and swearing like a truck driver.”
“Honey, she’ll be swearing like a SEAL.”
“That’s supposed to be better, Gunner?”
“As much as I’m enjoying this, I’ll put some money in the swear jar so we can move on.” Nash pulled out his wallet, sliding a twenty-dollar bill towards Lily.
“Thanks, Nash. We’ll have her college fund all set to go in record time.”
The room filled with laughter.
“Alright, now that we have the no swearing reminder out of the way, we need to talk about what happened at Save More this afternoon.”
The smiles faded and Gunner felt every eye trained on him, waiting.
“Lily and I were shopping when I left her and Sage to grab some things we’d need for tonight. A woman approached me. At first, she tried to get me to talk about Lily and Sage, but when I told her to piss off because I don’t talk about my family to strangers, she called me Mr. Brooks and told me she was there to deliver a message to me.”
“Deliver a message?” Gage asked. “Like a singing telegram?”
“No. A message from the Santoros. She didn’t come right out and say that, but she mentioned working for a powerful family. The bitch said they knew how valuable Lily and Sage were. How they’d hate to have something happen to them.”
“What the hell?” Hawk took his cell phone out. “I’m going to message Max and see if there’s been anything put out from the Santoros about us. If she’s coming to threaten you, then we are all targets.”
“That’s not the worst part.” Gunner paused, knowing how hard the next part was going to be for Lily to hear. “I’m sorry, baby. This woman was very clear. If we don’t stop interfering with their family, then they’ll try to take Lily and Sage.”
Lily sat ramrod straight and so still he wasn’t entirely sure she was breathing.
“We’re off the case, then.” Gage didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“There’s no choice. We won’t let them hurt Lily or Sage,” Hawk said as he stood and paced behind the sofa.
Small groups of chatter erupted as the team worked through different theories and strategies. He knew they needed Max there before they could agree to anything concrete, but it was helpful to hear just how quickly his team had his back.
“Lily and I need to come clean about something,” Gunner said as he ran a napkin across his lips. All the eyes snapped to him, except for Mae, who was staring with concern at Lily.
“I’m sure some of you put the pieces together, but Sage is not biologically my daughter.” Lily looked down at her hands and Gunner hated sharing something she’d wanted to keep private. “Lily’s ex-fiance was a danger to her and the baby. When I went home to be with my mom, I found out about her situation. We agreed to get married to help keep her and Sage safe. I am Sage’s father and I always will be. Just like I’m Lily’s husband. Our marriage is real, and nothing about how we started out defines us now.”
“Why are you telling us this? I mean, we appreciate your honesty, but what does this have to do with everything happening now?” Stone asked.
“My ex’s parents were there today,” Lily whispered. “They were at the store talking to me at the same time the mystery woman was threatening Gunner.”
“What did they want?” Nash asked.
“They’re going to take her from us.” Gunner hated to hear how her voice shook at the end, and before anyone could say anything, he moved his plate to the coffee table and pulled Lily onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her neck.